THREE children's centres in Bristol have been designated centres of excellence.

Senior staff at the centres in Knowle West, St Paul's and Brentry & Henbury will now be responsible for visiting the other 26 children's centres across the city to give training and leadership.

The move has been made ahead of a Government childcare shake-up which will see about 2,000 extra children aged between two and three in Bristol receive funding for places with children's centres, nurseries and with child minders by 2014.

The three centres have been designated "centres of excellence for the under-threes" by Bristol City Council, which hopes the changes will improve standards.

The chosen centres have all be rated as outstanding after inspections carried out by Government schools watchdog Ofsted.

The city council's director for children and young people Annie Hudson said: "Bristol has some excellent practice in caring for and beginning the learning journey for our youngest children.

"Almost all of our children's centres are now either judged as 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted.

"The contribution made to the growth and development of very young children deserves a high professional status and this new designation for the very best of our children's centres will help contribute towards this and better standards overall."

Lucy Driver, head at St Paul's Children's Centre in Little Bishop Street, said: "Bristol has exceptional practice in the early years.

"I am delighted that we now have in place champions for our youngest children, who will work with other settings to embed quality experiences from our children from birth.

"We are pleased to have the expertise we have developed here at St Paul's recognised, but know there is expertise all over Bristol. We look forward to working in collaboration to improve outcomes for our children and their families."

There are 1,543 children receiving childcare and education in the 29 children's centres across the city.

They offer families a range of parenting, support and health services, with the care and education for young children being integrated.

Sally Jaeckle, the council's lead officer for early years, said the new designation for the centres would improve quality of care and education at a time when there was likely to be influx of hundreds of extra children visiting them. Some parents of children aged three to four already qualify for 15 free hours of childcare for their children. The Government scheme will be rolled out to include children aged between two and three from September.

It is understood that around half of children aged between two and three in Bristol, about 2,000 in total, will be eligible for the free childcare. Despite the anticipated influx of extra children, Ms Jaeckle said there would not be an urgent need for the children's centre buildings across the city to be extended.

She said: "This is all about quality. We know the standards are here and the quality is here."

She said the extra free places would be made available in two stages across the next two years, with half being made available in September this year and the remainder set to be filled in September 2013.

Comments

Bristol has a fine and longstanding history of delivering high quaility early years education. Research shows, time after time, that quality results from delivery by properly-qualified teachers and early years practitioners. The mayor's new budget, which cuts 54 jobs from Bristol children's centres, can only act against the maintenance of quality, especially with places expanding. Staff and parents (and Local Authority officers) must stand up and protest at these short-sighted cuts.